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Facts About an Unborn Fetus

Baby approximately 7 weeks after conception.

Day 1 (14 days LMP)
Size of baby: .005 inches

Conception: Of the 200,000,000
sperm that try to penetrate the mother's egg cell, only one succeeds.
At that very moment, a new and unique individual is formed. All of
the inherited features of this new person are already set - whether
it's a boy or a girl, the color of the eyes, the color of the hair, the
dimples of the cheeks and the cleft of the chin, he or she is smaller
than a grain of sugar, but the instructions are present for all that
this person will ever become.

The first cell soon divides in two. Each of these new cells
divides again and again as they travel toward the womb in search of a
protected place to grow.

Days 6-14 (20-28 LMP)
Size of baby: .006 inches

The new individual at first
attaches loosley to the wall of the womb, then burrows deep and
attaches securely to it over the next week. Sensitive pregnancy tests
can now show positive, but this depends on the level of hormone produced
by the new life. By the end of the second week, the mother's
menstrual period is suppressed by this hormone (hCG) which is produced
by her child.

Day 17 (31 LMP)
Size of baby: .008 inches

Blood vessels begin to form.
Remarkably, the future sex cells that will give rise to sperm or eggs
for a new generation begin to group together - only 17 days after this
new life is alive itself.

Days 18-20 (32-34 LMP)The foundations of the brain, spinal cord, and nervous system are laid.

Day 21 (35 LMP)
Size of baby: .03 inches

The heart begins to beat,
unsurely at first, gaining strength day by day. The heart beats 70
times per minute at first, reaching a maximum of 170-190 at seven
weeks, and slowing a bit to 160-180 at 9 weeks. A day later the eyes
begin to develop. The earliest stages of the ears are now present.

Days 26-27 (40-41 LMP)The lungs now begin to form.at 9 weeks.

Days 28-32 (42-46 LMP)
Size of baby: 1/8 inch long

Two tiny arms make their
appearance and budding legs follow two days later. The beginnings of
the mouth take shape. The nose starts to develop. The thyroid gland
begins to grow. Blood flows in the baby's veins but stays separate from
the mother's blood. The tongue now begins to form. The face now makes
its first apparance.

Day 36 (50 LMP)The baby's eyes develop their first color in the retina.

Day 40 (54 LMP)The baby makes her first reflex movements. Touching around the mouth with a fine bristle causes her to flex her neck.

Day 41 (55 LMP)The fingers begin to form, followed by the toes a few days later.

Day 42 (56 LMP)
Size of baby: 1/2 inch long

The baby develops nerve
connections that will lead to a sense of smell. The brain is now
divided into 3 parts - one to experience emotion and understanding
langauge, one for hearing and one for seeing. Joints begin to form.
Mother now misses second period.

Day 44 (58 LMP)Buds of milk teeth appear.
Facial muscles develop. Eyelids begin to form, protecting the
developing eyes. Elbows take shape. Internal organs are present, but
immature. 99% of muscles are present; each with its own nerve supply.
Electrical activity is detectable in brain.

Day 52 (66 LMP)
Size of baby: 1 inch long

Spontaneous movement begins.
The baby then develops a whole collection of moves over the next 4
weeks including hiccupping, frowning, squinting, furrowing the brow,
pursing the lips, moving individual arms and legs, head turning,
touching the face, breathing (without air), stretching, opening the
mouth, yawning, and sucking.

8 weeks (10 weeks LMP)
Size of baby: 1 1/8 inches long
Weight of baby: 1/30 oz.
Note: All lengths are GL or "greatest length" which does not include the legs.

The baby is now well
proportioned, and about the size of a thumb. Every organ is peresent.
The liver is making blood, the kidneys function, and the heart beats
steadily. The skull, elbows, and knees are forming. Of the 4500
structures in the adult body, 4000 are already present. The skeleton
of the arms and legs and the spine begins to stiffen as bone cells are
added.

9 weeks (11 weeks LMP)
Size of baby: 1 1/2 inches long
Weight of baby: 6/10 oz.
Note: All lengths are GL or "greatest length" which does not include the legs.

If prodded, the baby's eyelids
and hands close. Genitalia that were forming in the 7th week now
become visable, indicating whether it's a boy or a girl. However, the
doctor won't be able to tell by an ultrasound until the 12th to 20th
week. Early muscular movements begin. The thyroid gland turns on.

10 weeks (12 weeks LMP)
Size of baby: 2 1/2 inches long
Weight of baby: 1 4/10 oz.
Note: All lengths are GL or "greatest length" which does not include the legs.

Fingerprints begin their 7
week long formation. The fingernails begin to develop. The eyelids now
fuse together until month 7, protecting the delicate eyes. The number
of connections between nerves and muscles has tripled since last
week.

11 weeks (13 weeks LMP)
Size of baby: 2 1/2 inches long
Weight of baby: 1 4/10 oz.
Note: All lengths are GL or "greatest length" which does not include the legs.

The baby now "practices"
breathing, since she will have to breathe air immediately after birth.
The baby urinates. Her stomach muscles can now contract. Vocal chords
and taste buds form. She can make complex facial expressions and even
smile.

12 weeks (14 weeks LMP)
Size of baby: 3 inches long
Weight of baby: 2 oz.
Note: All lengths are GL or "greatest length" which does not include the legs.

Fine hair begins to grow on the upper lip and chin and eyebrows. The baby swallows and responds to skin stimulation.

13 weeks (15 weeks LMP)
Size of baby: 4 inches long
Weight of baby: 3 oz.
Note: All lengths are GL or "greatest length" which does not include the legs.

The face is prettier, and facial expressions may resemble the parents'. The baby is active, but mom doesn't feel anything yet.

15 weeks (175 weeks LMP)A wild production of nerve cells begins and continues for a month. A second surge will occur at 25 weeks.

4 months (18 weeks LMP)
Size of baby: 5 1/2 inches long
Weight of baby: 5 oz.
Note: All lengths are GL or "greatest length" which does not include the legs.

Nostrils and toenails become
visable. The baby may suck her thumb, turn somersaults and has a firm
grip. The ovaries of girls contain beginnings of eggs. She begins to
develop sleeping habits. At about 4 1/2 months she is able to
experience pain.

5 months (22 weeks LMP)
Size of baby: 7 1/2 inches long
Weight of baby: 14 oz.
Note: All lengths are GL or "greatest length" which does not include the legs.

The testes descend in boys.
Mom may feel the baby kick, turn or hiccup and may be able to identfy a
bulge as an elbow or head. Each side of the brain has a billion nerve
cells now.

6 months (26 weeks LMP)
Size of baby: 9 inches long
Weight of baby: 1 lb. 12 oz.
Note: All lengths are GL or "greatest length" which does not include the legs.

The baby will be able to hear
by next week. The child sleeps and wakes, nestling in her favorite
positions to sleep, and stretches upon waking up.

7 months (30 weeks LMP)
Size of baby: 10 1/2 inches long
Weight of baby: 3 lbs. 5 oz.
Note: All lengths are GL or "greatest length" which does not include the legs.

The eyelids begin to reopen, preparing to see the outside world. Eyelashes have now become well developed.

8 months (34 weeks LMP)
Size of baby: 12 inches long
Weight of baby: 5 lbs.
Note: All lengths are GL or "greatest length" which does not include the legs.

Skin becomes pink and smooth.
The pupils of eye respond to light. Fingernails reach to the tip of
the finger. The baby is really getting cramped now.

9 1/2 months (40 weeks LMP)
Size of baby: 13 inches long
Weight of baby: 7 1/2 lbs.
Note: All lengths are GL or "greatest length" which does not include the legs.

The child triggers labor and birth occurs, an average of 264-270 days after conception.

And not until the baby has gone through all these events on the inside do we
see the new child on the outside.

Reference: Milestones of Early Life: How you
began your journey, Copyright 2005, Heritage House '76, Inc.